Massachusetts Archaeology Month October 2018
The 2018 Massachusetts Archaeology Month Poster
From the Secretary of the Commonwealth
Download the 2018 Calendar of Events (PDF)
Archaeology Month 2018 Event Information
Event Listings
Pre-Archaeology Month Events
Billerica, Boston, Lowell, Medford, Somerville, Wilmington, Winchester, Woburn
Middlesex Canal Bike Tour
Date & Time: Saturday, September 30, 9am
Location: Sullivan Square MBTA Station, Charlestown to Lowell
Information: www.middlesexcanal.org
Sponsor: Middlesex Canal Association, www.middlesexcanal.org
Admission: Free (Return MBTA Commuter Rail fare is participants’ responsibility)
Bike tour of historic Middlesex Canal Route (38 miles). Depart 9am from Charlestown (Sullivan T Station) to Lowell (MBTA Train Station). Return to Boston via commuter rail on 5pm train. Fare is your responsibility. Join or leave at several intermediate stopping points including Sandy Beach, Winchester; Kiwanis Park, Woburn; Wilmington MBTA Station; Middlesex Canal Museum near North Billerica MBTA Station. Google “Canal Ride Cue Sheet” for route description/details.
Archaeology Month Events
Listed alphabetically by town
Acton
Nashoba: Land Between the Waters
Date & Time: Tuesday, October 16, 7pm
Location: Acton Memorial Library, 486 Main Street
Information: 978-929-6655
Sponsor: Friends of Pine Hawk, Acton Memorial Library
Admission: Free
New England historian and archaeologist Electa Tritsch develops videos for community access television that combine her historical and environmental interests. Join us for a showing of her video Nashoba, which explores the land of the Nashoba Indians. This video was funded in part by grants from the Littleton and Concord Cultural Councils. Please confirm the event date and time in the library's online calendar.
A Tribal Geography of Martha’s Vineyard
Date & Time: Wednesday, October 24, 7pm
Location: Acton Memorial Library, 486 Main Street
Information: 978-929-6655
Sponsor: Friends of Pine Hawk, Acton Memorial Library
Admission: Free
Join Holly Herbster and Jane Miller of PAL, the archaeological firm that conducted the original Pine Hawk dig in Acton, for a discussion of the integrated volume of archaeological, historical and cartographic information about the Aquinnah Wampanoag Tribe they have amassed and used to create a Geographical Information System. Please confirm the event date and time in the library's online calendar.
Adult Archaeology Walk
Date & Time: Saturday, October 20. 10am (Rain Date October 27, please call to confirm)
Location: Meet at the parking lot at the end of Wheeler Lane, off of Route 27, Acton
Information: 978-929-6655
Sponsor: Friends of Pine Hawk, Acton Memorial Library
Admission: Free
This year's archaeology walk will again be led by Linda McElroy, Trail Through Time site specialist. During the walk, we will visit the Nashoba Brook stone chamber, view its interesting interior, and learn about its history and that of its associated square foundation. Time permitting, we will also visit the industrial era site of the Acton Pencil Factory. Visitors are advised to wear hiking boots, and bring buy spray and a flashlight for the walk. The walk is expected to take 1.5 to 2 hours and cover a distance of 1.5 miles round trip. Please confirm the event date and time in the library's online calendar.
Hidden History Hike: Archaeological Remains in "Mill Corner"
Date & Time: Sunday, October 28, 1pm
Location: Jones Tavern, 128 Main Street, Acton
Information: iwfcontact@ironworkfarm.org, www.ironworkfarm.org
Sponsor: Iron Work Farm in Acton, Inc.
Admission: Free
Join local archaeologist Kimberly Connors to uncover the hidden history of South Acton's Mill Corner. Our 1 1/2-mile hike will start at the Jones Tavern and highlight historic industrial sites from the early 18th-through the mid-20th centuries. We will discuss what features allowed South Acton to be the home of mills, factories, and a regional railroad junction. We will use sidewalks as well as unpaved surfaces during our walk, so please wear the proper footwear.
Amherst
Digging at the Dickinsons': An Overview of the 2018 Field School in Historic Archaeology
Date & Time: Monday, October 1, 6:30 pm
Location: Emily Dickinson Museum, 280 Main Street
Information: www.emilydickinsonmuseum.org
Sponsor: Emily Dickinson Museum
Admission: Free
View Emily Dickinson’s world through the eyes of an archaeologist during this presentation at the Museum. Faculty and members of the University of Massachusetts Amherst archaeological field school will present findings from their work on the grounds of the Emily Dickinson Museum in the summer of 2018. Their work sheds new light on the location of a former Dickinson family barn and well. Archaeobotany research-- a special branch of archaeology studying plant remains in the soil--began at the Museum in 2017 and has continued in 2018. See firsthand how archaeology informs the Museum’s preservation and restoration projects!
Andover
Massachusetts Archaeological Society Northeast Chapter Meeting
Date & Time: Tuesday, October 16, 7pm
Location: Robert S. Peabody Museum of Archaeology, 180 Main Street
Information: info.nechapter@massarchaeology.org
Sponsor: Massachusetts Archaeological Society, www.massarchaeology.org
Admission: Free
Join the MAS Northeast Chapter for its monthly free lectures by experts in archaeology and history. We meet at the historic R.S. Peabody Museum on the campus of Phillips Academy in Andover on the third Tuesday of the month from September to May. Lectures are free and open to the public. Find us on Facebook or see www.massarchaeology.org for more information.
Barnstable
An Archaeology Lecture with Craig Chartier
Date & Time: Saturday, October 13, 2pm
Location: Cotuit Library, 871 Main Street
Information: www.cotuitlibrary.org
Sponsor: Cotuit Library
Admission: Free
Come listen to Craig Chartier, the Director of the Plymouth Archaeological Rediscovery Project, and learn about archaeology in Massachusetts. Please check with the Cotuit Library regarding event time and any additional information.
Berkley
International Archaeology Day at Dighton Rock State Park
Date & Time: Saturday, October 20, 10am-2pm
Location: Dighton Rock State Park, 3rd Avenue
Information: 617-626-1377, ellen.berkland@state.ma.us
Sponsor: Department of Conservation and Recreation, the Massachusetts Archaeological Society – Southeast Chapter, and the Friends of Dighton Rock
Admission: Free
Be an archaeologist for the day! Learn how to think like an archaeologist…excavate a test unit, screen for and identify artifacts, and document and record soil levels. Other activities focus on the extensive and rich peopling of the area dating back thousands of years. Find out why this place was and is so special to the First People of Massachusetts. Learn how to use a bow-drill, grind corn with a mortar and pestle, weave a fishing net, make a ground stone-tool fishing weight, make a ceramic pot in the traditional indigenous way, play the game of Hubhub, or even try your hand (arm) at throwing an atlatl! Visitors are welcome to bring an artifact for the experts to identify and to tour the most studied artifact in the U.S.‑Dighton Rock‑ carved by indigenous people thousands of years ago. The event is free and there is plenty of parking. Bring water (and work gloves if excavating and screening).
Billerica
Fall Meeting and Lecture
Date & Time: Sunday, October 28, 1pm
Location: Middlesex Canal Museum, 71 Faulkner Street
Information: 978-670-2740, www.middlesexcanal.org
Sponsor: Middlesex Canal Association
Admission: Free
Middlesex Canal Fall Meeting and Lecture on a subject related to the canal era. Speaker and topic to be determined. Please check with event organizer for additional information
Boston
An Extraordinary Look into Ordinary Lives: Uncovering Dorchester’s Industrial School for Girls
Date & Time: Monday through Friday, 9am-4:45pm
Location: Commonwealth Museum, 220 Morrissey Boulevard
Information: www.sec.state.ma.us/mus/index.html
Sponsor: Commonwealth Museum
Admission: Free
History and archaeology combine to tell the story of a 19th-century “child-saving” institution and those who walked its halls. Dorchester’s Industrial School for Girls was designed to “prevent evil” in “destitute or neglected” children. The middle and upper-class managers of the school trained these young girls in the domestic arts and proper female virtue in hopes that they would become productive members of the working class. Using school records and artifacts uncovered during a 2015 archaeological dig, the Commonwealth Museum’s new exhibit brings this never-before-told story of Victorian moral reform to life. The girls’ individual experiences at and after the school take center stage, but the exhibit also explores class dynamics, gender roles, race relations, sickness and disease, and leisure in 19th-century Boston.
Archaeology of the Abiel Smith School for Families
Date & Time: Saturday, October 20, 10am - 2 pm
Location: Boston African Meeting House, 8 Smith Court
Information: alicia_paresi@nps.gov
Sponsor: National Park Service, Museum of African American History
Admission: Free
Join National Park Service staff and explore the history and archaeology of the Abiel Smith School. The Smith School opened in 1835 and educated the city's African American children until 1855. The students and teachers did not leave many written records behind, but they did leave their trash! Come learn about the artifacts found at the site and complete activities to earn a junior ranger badge at this family-friendly event!
African American Archaeology on Boston's Beacon Hill
Date & Time: Saturday, October 20, 2 pm
Location: Boston African Meeting House, 8 Smith Court
Information: alicia_paresi@nps.gov
Sponsor: National Park Service, Museum of African American History
Admission: Free
Join National Park Service archaeologists and curators as they present original research on artifacts related to the Abiel Smith School. Located on Boston's historic Beacon Hill, the Smith School educated African American children during the 19th century, and the artifacts associated with it can shed light on a population often left out of the written record.
Raising the Dead: Finding Clues to Ancestors from Headstones, Family Plots, and Burial Records
Date & Time: Wednesday, October 24, 12-1pm
Location: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 99-101 Newbury Street
Information: 617-226-1226, education@nehgs.org, AmericanAncestors.org
Sponsor: New England Historic Genealogical Society, AmericanAncesters.org
Admission: Free
When they survive, headstones can offer important clues to understanding the lives of those who came before us. Join the author of A Guide to Massachusetts Cemeteries, NEHGS Chief Genealogist David Allen Lambert, to learn how these memorials can shed new light on your ancestor's life—everything from the type of stone used, the carvings, the position of the family plot, and the burial documents left behind can provide you with information.
Brewster
Underwater Archaeology of the Whydah
Date & Time: Saturday, October 6, 11am-3pm
Location: Cape Cod Museum of Natural History, 869 Main Street/Route 6A
Information: www.ccmnh.org
Sponsor: Whydah Pirate Museum
Admission: Free with regular admission (Adults: $15, Seniors: $10, ages 3-12: $6, under 3 free)
Learn about pirates on Cape Cod with the true story of the Whydah! Hear about the tale of "Black Sam" Bellamy and his treasure. Discover the exciting world of underwater archaeology and uncover your own pirate treasure. Children will have the opportunity to excavate like an underwater archaeologist. Excavations can be messy, so please keep that in mind for your trip to the Museum!
Wing Island Guided Walk
Date & Time: Saturday, October 13, 10 am
Location: Cape Cod Museum of Natural History, 869 Main Street/Route 6A
Information: www.ccmnh.org
Sponsor: Cape Cod Museum of Natural History
Admission: Cape Cod Museum of Natural History Members: $3, Non-Members: $5
Join archaeologist Dan Zoto for a guided walk of Wing Island, the location of the Wing Island Archaeology Project. Learn the history of the island and its varied uses throughout thousands of years.
Cape Cod Museum of Natural History Artifact Identification Day
Date & Time: Saturday, October 13, 12-3:00pm
Location: Cape Cod Museum of Natural History, 869 Main Street/Route 6A
Information: www.ccmnh.org
Sponsor: Cape Cod Museum of Natural History
Admission: Free with admission (Adults: $15, Seniors: $10, Children ages 3-12: $6, Children under 3: Free)
Join archaeologist Dan Zoto and the rest of the CCMNH Archaeology team. View artifacts from local excavations including from the Wing Island Archaeology Project, and learn about the archaeology of the area. Visitors are encouraged to bring artifacts for identification.
Cambridge
Ancient Brews Rediscovered and Re-Created
Date & Time: Tuesday, October 9, 6pm
Location: Geological Lecture Hall, 24 Oxford Street. Free event parking at 52 Oxford Street Garage. Reception at the Harvard Semitic Museum, 6 Divinity Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02138
Information: www.hmsc.harvard.edu
Sponsor: Harvard Semitic Museum, Harvard Museum of Natural History, and the Peabody Museum of Archaeology & Ethnology.
Admission: Free for members, Non-members: $10
The makers of the earliest fermented beverages must have marveled at the “magical” process by which mixtures of wild fruits, honey, and cereals produced mind-altering drinks. In this special event, Patrick McGovern, the Scientific Director of Biomolecular Archaeology Project for Cuisine, Fermented Beverages, and Health at the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, will venture back to the origins of brewing in the ancient world. Drawing on archaeology and science, he will discuss the earliest known fermented beverages, and how his research and travels have informed the making of the Ancient Ales and Spirits of Dogfish Head Brewery. Following the lecture, enjoy a tasting of “ancient” beer paired with Mesopotamia-inspired treats.
Archaeological Exploration of Sardis
Date & Time: Friday, October 26, 2018, 3:00–4:30pm
Location: Harvard Art Museums, 32 Quincy Street, Cambridge, MA
Information: harvardartmuseums.org
Sponsor: Harvard Art Museums
Admission: Free
Since its founding in 1958 by Harvard and Cornell Universities, the Archaeological Exploration of Sardis has excavated, conserved, and published on aspects of the ancient city of Sardis in western Turkey from prehistoric through Islamic periods. The expedition is one of the longest running international projects sponsored at Harvard and is one of the oldest classical archaeological projects in the Mediterranean. This event brings together Harvard Art Museums staff and Harvard faculty and students to discuss their experiences of working at the ancient site in western Turkey.
The lecture will take place in Menschel Hall, Lower Level. Please enter the museums via the entrance on Broadway. Doors will open at 2:30pm.
The Kings of Kush: Archaeology and Heritage at El Kurru
Date & Time: Thursday, October 18, 6pm
Location: Geological Lecture Hall, 24 Oxford Street. Free event parking at 52 Oxford Street Garage
Information: www.hmsc.harvard.edu
Sponsor: Harvard Semitic Museum
Admission: Free
Ancient Nubia was one of Africa's earliest centers of political authority, wealth, and military power. After the Nubian kings and queens of Kush rose to power around 800 BCE, they controlled a vast empire along the Middle Nile (now Northern Sudan) and conquered Egypt to rule as its Twenty-fifth Dynasty. The kingdom’s political center, known as El Kurru, was first excavated by George Reisner in 1918–1919 on behalf of the Harvard University-Boston Museum of Fine Arts Expedition. George Emberling, Research Scientist at the Kelsey Museum of Archaeology, will discuss recent discoveries at the site and how they inform local and international ideas about history and heritage.
Origins of the Silk Road
Date & Time: Wednesday, October 24, 6pm
Location: Geological Lecture Hall, 24 Oxford Street. Free event parking at 52 Oxford Street Garage
Information: www.hmsc.harvard.edu
Sponsor: Peabody Museum of Archaeology & Ethnology
Admission: Free
Approximately 4,000 years ago, the peoples of China and Eurasia established several networks of interaction and exchange that radically transformed the cultures of both regions. These networks eventually gave rise to the Silk Road trade routes connecting the East and West. Rowan Flad, Professor of Archaeology at Harvard University, will discuss the archaeological evidence—from the Qijia Culture of Northwest China—that documents the agricultural, metallurgical and technological innovations that resulted from the earliest trans-Eurasian exchanges, and how studies of the origins of the Silk Road are being reinvigorated by China’s One Belt, One Road initiative.
Archaeology Live: Harvard College Life in Colonial Times
Date & Time: Thursday, October 25, 12-2 pm
Location: Enter Old Harvard Yard from Harvard Square. Between Weld and Matthew Halls
Information: sutter@hmsc.harvard.edu, www.peabody.harvard.edu
Sponsor: Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology
Admission: Free
Peer into an active archaeological excavation and learn about the oldest section of North America’s first college, founded in 1636. Harvard archaeology students will answer your questions, demonstrate archaeological methods, and display recent finds from the seventeenth century that reflect how Harvard College students—centuries ago—ate, dressed, and amused themselves, among other experiences. Drop by any time during this two-hour event. The site is steps away from the famous John Harvard statue in Harvard Yard.
Concord
Collection Spotlight: Archaeology
Date & Time: Saturday, October 6, 1-3pm
Location: Wright Tavern, 2 Lexington Rd
Information: www.concordmuseum.org
Sponsor: Concord Museum
Admission: Free
Collection Spotlight shares the histories and the stories of objects in the Concord Museum’s teaching collection. Drop in at the Wright Tavern to learn more about the Museum’s collection of over 32,000 stone tools used by Native Americans in the region thousands of years ago. Observe, touch, and sketch real stone tools.
Hands-On History: Archaeology
Date & Time: Sunday, October 7, 1-4pm
Location: Wright Tavern, 2 Lexington Rd
Information: www.concordmuseum.org
Sponsor: Concord Museum
Admission: Free
Bring your family and get hands-on with history in this program focusing on Native American artifacts. Learn more about the Native people of Musketaquid and dig into Concord’s past with a simulated archaeological test pit.
Parker's Revenge: The New Evidence
Date & Time: Wednesday, October 10, 4pm
Location: Minute Man Visitor Center, along 2A in Lexington near the I-95 interchange
Information: leslie_obleschuk@nps.gov, www.nps.gov/mima
Sponsor: Minute Man National Historical Park
Admission: Free
Archaeologist Meg Watters will share details about the Parker's Revenge Archaeology Project, which was successful in locating a key Revolutionary War battle site from April 19, 1775. Following the presentation, Park Ranger Jim Hollister, joined by His Majesty's 10th Regiment of Foot, will lead a walk out to the scene of action. The re-enactors will demonstrate how we believe the battle was fought, based on the results from the excavations. This program will feature musket firing.
Deerfield
The Dirt on Deerfield: Historical Archaeology on Old Main Street
Date & Time: Thursday, October 18, 7pm
Location: Hall Tavern at Historic Deerfield, 80A Old Main Street
Information: ccarlson@historic-deerfield.org, 413-775-7217
Sponsor: Historic Deerfield
Admission: Free
Highlights of archaeological projects conducted at the Nims House site, Moors House, Hall Tavern, and Williams House will be explored in this illustrated slide lecture by Claire Calrson. Ms. Carlson has a MA in Anthropology from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and specializes in New England Historical Archaeology.
Duxbury
Digging John Alden
Date & Time: Saturday, October 6, 1:30-3pm
Location: Duxbury Free Library, 77 Alden Street
Information: www.alden.org
Sponsor: Duxbury Free Library
Admission: Free
Come explore the “Alden First Site,” one of Duxbury’s archaeological treasures, and hear recent scholarship about Mayflower Pilgrims John and Priscilla Alden’s first home. Program includes a tour of the Site, updates on a recent survey of the neighboring Henry Samson site, and activities for kids. The Alden Kindred of America hired archaeologist Roland W. Robbins to excavate the Alden site in 1960 and is currently partnering with the University of Massachusetts to research the artifacts from the 1960 excavation.
East Bridgewater
Digging in the Field of Dreams
Date & Time: Thursday, October 2, 6:30pm
Location: East Bridgewater Public Library, 32 Union Street
Information: 508-378-1616
Sponsor: East Bridgewater Public Library
Admission: Free
Curtiss Hoffman of the Anthropology Department at Bridgewater State University will give a presentation about the archaeological dig that was done at the Middleborough Little League site. The site was the locus for prehistoric Native American activity from at least 8,000 years ago to around 1,100 years ago. It was used for subsistence activities (food preparation, hide processing, tool-making) and artifact storage.
Haverhill
Luce Archaeology Collection Open House
Date & Time: Saturday, October 20, 10am-2 pm
Location: Buttonwoods Museum, 240 Water Street, Haverhill
Information: buttonwoods.org, programs@buttonwoods.org
Sponsor: Buttonwoods Museum
Admission: Donations welcome
Join us for an open house and Q&A session with artifacts from the Frederick A. Luce Collection and learn about pre-European contact Native history in Haverhill. The program will showcase artifacts such as lithics, steatite bowl fragments and ceramic fragments that span the ancient occupational periods. Museum interpreters will describe their uses and talk about the people who made and used them in their daily lives along the Merrimack River. Come see how projectile points were made at the ancient tool technology demonstration!
Kingston
“Shards and Chard”
Date & Time: Saturday, October 13, 7-9pm
Location: Adams Center, 33 Summer Street
Information: 781-585-0500
Sponsor: Kingston Historical Commission
Admission: Free
To celebrate Massachusetts' Archaeology Month, Mary Beaudry, Professor of Archaeology at Boston University, will review artifacts documenting the lives of Major John Bradford's family. Beaudry recently completed an analysis of artifacts uncovered in the early 1970s by James Deetz, a renowned Plimonth Plantation archaeologist. The artifacts relate to the original home and everyday life of the Bradfords, who were among the town's first occupants. Chardonnay and hors d’oeuvres will be served.
Lexington
Parker's Revenge: The New Evidence
Date & Time: Wednesday, October 10, 4pm
Location: Minute Man Visitor Center, along 2A in Lexington near the I-95 interchange
Information: leslie_obleschuk@nps.gov, www.nps.gov/mima
Sponsor: Minute Man National Historical Park
Admission: Free
Archaeologist Meg Watters will share details about the Parker's Revenge Archaeology Project, which was successful in locating a key Revolutionary War battle site from April 19, 1775. Following the presentation, Park Ranger Jim Hollister, joined by His Majesty's 10th Regiment of Foot, will lead a walk out to the scene of action. The re-enactors will demonstrate how we believe the battle was fought, based on the results from the excavations. This program will feature musket firing.
Lowell
Lowell Waterpower Sites and Systems
Date & Time: Saturday, October 6, 11:30-1pm
Location: Lowell National Historical Park Visitors Center, 246 Market Street. Parking available at 304 Dutton Street
Information: Reservations required, please call 978-970-5000, Information at www.nps.gov/lowe
Sponsor: Lowell National Historical Park
Admission: Free
Visit the historic remains of the Tremont and Suffolk Mills, examples of 19th century waterpower systems. The Tremont Mills and the Suffolk Manufacturing Company were each incorporated in 1831 and were later merged into one company in 1871. The technology which powered the Tremont Mills remains visible in the basement of an office building, while the Tremont mill yard retains remnants of mill features and waterpower systems. The tour concludes at the Suffolk Mill, where turbines from 1896 are still in place.
Spindle City Storytime: What do Archaeologists Do?
Date & Time: Monday, October 8, 10-11am
Location: 40 French Street
Information: 978-970-5000, www.nps.gov/lowe
Sponsor: Lowell National Historical Park
Admission: Free
Come to Lowell National Historical Park for a fun and interactive story hour! This fall, Spindle City Storytime will feature a different story and craft each month that highlights the history, science, and people in the City of Lowell. In October, we will learn all about how archaeologists dig through the layers to unearth the past. All young children and their caregivers are welcome!
Hands-on History: Weaving Workshop and Archaeological Artifacts
Date & Time: Saturday, October 13, 1-4pm)
Location: Boott Cotton Mill Museum, 115 John Street, 3rd Floor
Information: 978-970-5000, www.nps.gov/lowe
Sponsor: Lowell National Historical Park
Admission: Free
Connect, create, and discover! Lowell National Historical Park and the Tsongas Industrial History Center are excited to offer a special hands-on workshop and show-and-tell for archaeology month! Bring the whole family to the Boott Cotton Mills to use our weaving workshop space and see some of the park's archaeological collection to discover more about the Industrial Revolution, the Lowell mill girls, and the impact of the mills on Lowell itself. Activities are appropriate for all ages.
Your City Saturday: Boarding House Park Archaeology
Date & Time: Saturday, October 20, 1-4pm
Location: Boarding House Park, 40 French Street
Information: 978-970-5000, www.nps.gov/lowe
Sponsor: Lowell National Historical Park
Admission: Free
Come experience history and fun for the whole family at Lowell National Historical Park! Join your neighborhood park ranger and our friends in the community on Saturday afternoons at various locations in and around downtown Lowell for fun activities to learn all about our city! This event will celebrate Archaeology Month: meet a ranger at Boarding House Park to learn about the archaeological dig that uncovered the foundations of several mill boarding houses and thousands of artifacts relating to the Lowell Mill Girls and other mill workers.
Marshfield
“Engaging Archaeology: 25 Case Studies in Research Practice,” Lecture and Book Signing presented by Stephen Silliman
Date & Time: Monday, October 22, 7-8:30pm
Location: Ventress Memorial Library, 15 Library Plaza, 1837 Ocean Street
Information: 781-834-5535, cwoods@ocln.org, www.ventresslibrary.org
Sponsor: Ventress Memorial Library
Admission: Free
Dr. Stephen Silliman, Professor of Anthropology at UMass Boston, will give a talk about why archaeologists choose to enter the field, and the varied paths encountered while conducting their research. His book, "Engaging Archaeology," published in February 2018, brings together 25 case studies from archaeological projects worldwide. "Engaging Archaeology" candidly explores personal experiences, success, challenges, and even frustrations from established and senior archaeologists who share invaluable practical advice for students and early-career professional archaeologists.
Middleborough
The Norse in America
Date & Time: Wednesday, October 10, 7pm
Location: Massachusetts Archaeological Society's Robbins Museum, 17 Jackson Street
Information: David Burbine: 781-264-8430, d.p.burbine@gmail.com
Sponsor: Massachusetts Archaeological Society- Southeast Chapter
Admission: Free
At last year's Archaeology Month event, independent researcher Gregory M. Lott discussed the work done by Norwegian explorer and author Helge Ingstad and his archaeologist wife, Anne Stine. This year we will have a reprise of that discussion, along with further information about other potential sites related to the Norse in America.
Robbins Museum of Archaeology Open House
Date & Time: Wednesdays, 10am-4pm, and Saturdays, 10am-2pm, throughout October
Location: Robbins Museum of Archaeology, 17 Jackson Street
Information: info@massarchaeology.org
Sponsor: Robbins Museum of Archaeology, www.massarchaeology.org/museum
Admission: Adults: $5 donation, Children: $2, MAS Members: Free
Come visit over 10,000 years of local archaeology! The museum displays thousands of artifacts including a handcrafted mishoon (dugout canoe), the Doyle collection of Native American dolls, and a diorama of Native American New England life. We accept bookings for groups and offer special tours of our collection at a group admission rate.
Monson
Flynt Quarry Tour
Date & Time: Sunday, October 28, 1pm
Location: Kiosk on Margaret/Upper Hampden (Google Map coordinates 42.120160,-72.331454)
Information: 508-347-9144, membership@opacumit.org
Sponsor: Opacum Land Trust
Admission: Free
Join us for a guided tour with James and Mary Gage to view the Flynt Quarry, which was active during the 1800s. The tour will include an introduction to the history of the quarry, a walk along the bottom of the north ridge to explore evidence of quarrying activity, and will proceed to the southeast end of the quarry to examine white granite, star holes, and other features. The tour is expected to run 60 to 90 minutes
Newburyport
Archaeology Day at Maudsley State Park
Date & Time: Saturday, October 6, 10am-2pm
Location: Maudsley State Park, 74 Curzon Mill Road
Information: 617-626-1377, ellen.berkland@state.ma.us
Sponsor: Department of Conservation and Recreation, the Massachusetts Archaeological Society – Northeast Chapter
Admission: Free
Be an archaeologist for the day! Learn how to think like an archaeologist…excavate a test unit, screen for and identify artifacts, and document and record soil levels. Other activities focus on the extensive and rich peopling of the area dating back thousands of years. Find out why this place was and is so special to the First People of Massachusetts. Learn how to use a bow-drill, grind corn with a mortar and pestle, weave a fishing net, make a ground stone-tool fishing weight, make a ceramic pot in the traditional indigenous way, play the game of Hubhub, or even try your hand (arm) at throwing an atlatl! Visitors are welcome to bring an artifact for the experts to identify. The event is free and there is plenty of parking. Bring water (and work gloves if excavating and screening).
North Adams
Nautical Archaeology
Date & Time: Saturday, October 6, 3pm
Location: Western Gateway Heritage State Park, Visitors Museum, Building 4, 115 State Street
Information: 413-663-6312
Sponsor: Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation
Admission: Free
This illustrated lecture on the field of nautical archaeology will travel the globe, encountering sunken ships and sunken cities in some of the most challenging archaeological projects ever undertaken.
When Sciences Collide: The Sphinx and Geology and Archaeology
Date & Time: Saturday, October 13, 3pm
Location: Western Gateway Heritage State Park, Visitors Museum, Building 4, 115 State Street
Information: 413-663-6312
Sponsor: Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation
Admission: Free
This illustrated lecture will explore what happens when different scientific fields have conflicting and incompatible theories regarding iconic historical sites and their history. The lecture will focus on the interesting case study of the famous Sphinx of Egypt and the various interpretations of its historical origins.
Norwell
Archaeology Discovery Day
Date & Time: Monday, October 8, 10am - 3 pm
Location: South Shore Natural Science Center, 48 Jacobs Lane
Information: southshorenaturalsciencecenter.org
Sponsor: South Shore Natural Science Center
Admission: Free for members, Non-members: $5
Join us for a hands-on archaeology day! Visitors will use special tools to excavate fragments of the past. Come and see what you will find! While you are here, you can visit our museum's collections of Early American artifacts and our living collection of native New England animals.
Plymouth
Wampanoag World: Patuxet to Plymouth
Date & Time: Daily, 9:30am-4:30pm
Location: Pilgrim Hall Museum, 75 Court Street
Information: pilgrimhall.org
Sponsor: Pilgrim Hall Museum
Admission: Free with regular admission (Adults: $12, Seniors: $10, Kids: $8, Families: $30)
Wampanoag World: Patuxet to Plymouth is an exhibition at the Pilgrim Hall Museum through December. The exhibit captures the vitality and persistence of the Wampanoag peoples of Patuxet through 10,000 years of lived experience and features displays of archaeological artifacts from the region.
October Evening Lecture Series
Date & Time: Wednesdays in October at 6:30pm
Location: Pilgrim Hall Museum, 75 Court Street
Information: pilgrimhall.org
Sponsor: Pilgrim Hall Museum
Admission: Free with regular admission (Adults: $12, Seniors: $10, Kids: $8, Families: $30)
Join us to learn the latest on Plymouth archeology, Wampanoag women's history, and South Shore witches during our fall series. Lectures will be held on Wednesday evenings at 6:30pm unless noted otherwise. Lecture topics include:
1624 Politics in Plymouth Colony
Wednesday, October 3
Dr. Richard Pickering, Deputy Executive Director, Plimoth Plantation
Richard Pickering of Plimoth Plantation explores the connections of the Pilgrims to the political theory and pragmatic experience of Renaissance Italy. Many people might be surprised to learn that William Brewster, the ruling elder of the Plymouth congregation, owned Machiavelli's The Prince and Governor Bradford owned a history of Italy. Early New England resembled Italian city states in some ways, with civil commonwealths vying for resources. Pickering tracks these Renaissance influences and the tensions they may have generated in early Plymouth.
The House on Burial Hill: A First Glimpse from the 2018 Excavation
Wednesday, October 10
Dr. David Landon, Associate Director, Fiske Center for Archaeological Research, UMass Boston
As part of a multi-year study of Plymouth Colony sites, UMass Boston archaeologists uncovered the first intact sections of a 17th-century building this summer on the edge of Plymouth’s Burial Hill. The structural remains date to the first half of the 17th century and appear to be part of the original Plymouth Colony settlement. Learn the details of this important discovery and what it means for the on-going Plymouth Colony archaeological survey.
Beloved Cousins and Protectors: Native Women Leaders before and during King Philip’s War
Thursday, October 18
Dr. Lisa Brooks, Professor of English & American Studies, Amherst College
Lisa Brooks considers Native women’s leadership in a lecture based on her new book, Our Beloved Kin. Brooks describes the contest of war, captivity, and Native resistance during the “First Indian War” (King Philip’s War) through the intertwined stories of Weetamoo, a female Wampanoag leader, and Nipmuc scholar James Printer. Drawing on archival research, landscape analysis, and tribal histories, Brooks’ pathbreaking scholarship offers new insights into colonial New England and the origins of America.
Film Screening, Landing of the Pilgrims: Restoring Sargent’s Monumental Painting
Wednesday, October 24
Filmmaker Wes Ennis presents PHM’s new film on conserving Sargent’s Pilgrim masterpiece.
The Pilgrim Society announces the premieres a new short film, Landing of the Pilgrims: Restoring Sargent’s Monumental Painting. American artist Henry Sargent’s The Landing of the Pilgrims has hung in Pilgrim Hall Museum since its opening in 1824. An early milestone of American historical painting for its subject, size and execution, the painting had been on display for 191 years, when a team of conservators restored it in situ, with the visiting public as audience. The restored painting was unveiled in summer 2015. Filmmaker Wes Ennis present the film, which provides an in-depth look at the work done to conserve Sargent’s Pilgrim masterpiece.
Witches of Plymouth
Wednesday, October 31
Dr. Donna Curtin, Executive Director, Pilgrim Hall Museum
Could Plymouth have ever been Salem? Belief in witchcraft was part of the 17th century worldview of the Pilgrims, and there were accusations of witchcraft in early Plymouth. Curtin describes the English folklore and traditions that shaped New England witch trials, and examines the stories of Plymouth’s accused witches to suggest how the Pilgrim settlement avoided the hysteria that later enflamed Massachusetts Bay.
Dig Into Archaeology
Date & Time: Thursday, October 4 and 18, 12pm
Location: Plimoth Plantation, 137 Warren Avenue
Information: ccoleman@plimoth.org
Sponsor: Plimoth Plantation
Admission: Free for members, Non-members: $8
Dig into archaeology with Plimoth Plantation during our Archaeology Month themed lectures. Join us on two Thursdays (October 4 and October 18) as we welcome a lineup of lively, unique guest speakers from the field of archaeology.
International Archaeology Day at Plimoth Plantation
Date & Time: Saturday, October 20, 10am-1pm
Location: Plimoth Plantation, 137 Warren Avenue
Information: ccoleman@plimoth.org
Sponsor: Plimoth Plantation
Admission: Adults: $28, Seniors (62+): $26, Children: $16
Celebrate International Archaeology Day with Plimoth Plantation. Paint a reproduction tile to take home and see pictures of the real tiles in our collection. Throughout the day there will be a variety of archaeology-related children's activities including hands-on challenges, coloring, and crafts.
What Survives: An Archaeological Walking Tour of Plimoth Plantation
Date & Time: Thursday, October 25, 1pm
Location: Plimoth Plantation, 137 Warren Avenue
Information: ccoleman@plimoth.org
Sponsor: Plimoth Plantation
Admission: Adults: $28, Seniors (62+): $26, Children: $16
What do archaeologists find and how do they identify a site? Be an archaeologist for an afternoon with this guided tour. Explore our museum through the lens of archaeology and discover something new!
Quincy
Quarry Museum and Lyons Turning Mill Open House
Date & Time: Saturday, October 20, 10am-3pm (Rain date is Saturday, October 27, 10am-3pm)
Location: Quarry Hills Drive off Ricciuti Drive
Information: 781-600-6728, quincyquarrymuseum@verizon.net
Sponsor: Quincy Quarry and Granite Workers Museum, www.quincyquarrymuseum.org
Admission: Free
This event consists of guided tours of the remains of the historic Lyons Turning Mill site and the surrounding Lyons Quarry area where artifacts of Quincy’s granite industry can be seen. Interpretive information explaining the artifacts will be displayed. Informational tables will be set up with historical photos of Quincy’s granite history. The Quarry Museum will also be open for tours.
Meet the Souther Tide Mill, or What is That Old Building on the Southern Artery?
Date & Time: Saturday, October 20, 12-3pm
Location: 622 Southern Artery (Route 3A) between Quirk Nissan and CVS, Quincy
Information: southertidemill.wordpress.com
Sponsor: Friends of Souther Tide Mill
Admission: Free
Stop by and enjoy a day outside by the grist mill at the old Souther Tide Mill on the Town River in Quincy. Come discover about the numerous industries that occupied the area beginning in 1806, play games, bring a picnic, and enjoy some popcorn (what else? the mill was used to grind corn!). Any pertinent stories, photos, or artifacts related to the mill are welcome, as are artists and photographers.
Revere
The History of Wonderland Amusement Park, 1907-1908
Date & Time: Thursday, October 4, 7pm
Location: Revere Museum, 108 Beach Street
Information: rschpmuseum@comcast.net
Sponsor: Revere Society for Cultural and Historic Preservation
Admission: Free
The Revere Society for Cultural and Historic Preservation is pleased to present an illustrated lecture by historian Stephen R. Wilk, who is writing a book on the history of the Wonderland Amusement Park (1906-1910). Our museum contains artifacts from local history and free tours are available. Free parking is available in a nearby lot and the location is accessible by the T.
Springfield
Fake New about Antiquity: Fraud, Folly and Forgery in Archaeology
Date & Time: Thursday, October 11, 12:15-1:15pm
Location: Davis Auditorium, Springfield Museums, 21 Edwards Street
Information: kguerin@springfieldmuseums.org, springfieldmuseums.org
Sponsor: Springfield Museums
Admission: $4 (does not include museum admission: Adults: $25, Seniors: $16.50, Ages 3-17: $13, free for children under 3)
Do you trust archaeologists to tell you the truth about the past? The World Economic Forum recently announced that public trust in traditional journalism is at an all-time low. People increasingly rely on other sources for information, particularly electronic media. The same trend is observed in ancient history and archaeology news. With many sensationalist media sources claiming to "rewrite history" with each new discovery, what tools does the public have to distinguish between the impossible, the improbable, and the truly groundbreaking. Join Dr. Joseph Wilson of Fairfield University who will discuss this problem using several key cases.
Two Gems: The Parthenon and the Acropolis
Date & Time: Thursday, October 18, 12:15-1:15pm
Location: Davis Auditorium, Springfield Museums, 21 Edwards Street
Information: kguerin@springfieldmuseums.org, springfieldmuseums.org
Sponsor: Springfield Museums
Admission: $4 (does not include museum admission: Adults: $25, Seniors: $16.50, Ages 3-17: $13, free for children under 3)
Crowning the Athenian Acropolis, the Parthenon is an icon that symbolizes the dawn of democracy in Western Civilization. Why did the 5th Century BCE Athenians build such an expensive and exceptional temple? What communal significance did it have for them? After exploring the architectural elements and the sculptural decoration of the Parthenon, we will time travel over 2500 years to another engineering feat: the Acropolis Museum, which opened in 2009. A virtual tour of the collection will showcase the ancient artifacts in their 21st century home.
Stockbridge
Footprints of Our Ancestors – Mohican History Walking Tour
Date & Time: Friday, October 19, 9-11:30 am
Location: Starts at 50 Main Street, Stockbridge Town Hall
Information: 413-298-3239 extension 3018
Sponsor: The Trustees of Reservations
Admission: Free
A walking tour that explores the history of Stockbridge as a Christianized settlement called Indian Town, established for the Stockbridge Mohican Indians in 1735. The tour follows Main Street with tops at Mohican home sites and end with a tour of the Mission House (1740-1741), which was the home of John Sergeants, the first missionary to the Stockbridge Mohicans. The tour will be led by Bonnie Hartley, the Tribal Historic Preservation Officer for the Stockbridge Munsee Community.
Taunton
Archaeology for Kids: Smart Cookies
Date & Time: Saturday, October 13, 12:30-1:30pm
Location: Old Colony History Museum, 66 Church Green
Information: oldcolonyhistorymuseum.org, 508-822-1622
Sponsor: Old Colony History Museum
Admission: Free with regular admission: $4/Adult, $2/Seniors and young adults (12-18), children under the age of 12 and members free
Join us for a special lesson on excavation techniques used by archaeologists! No registration is required for this event. Kids and adults are invited to tour the museum from 10-4. Admission for kids 12 and under is always free!
Waltham
Archaeology “Take-a-Walk” Backpack
Date & Time: Mondays through Fridays 10am-3pm and Saturdays 12-3pm
Location: Gore Place, 52 Gore Street
Information: events@goreplace.org
Sponsor: Gore Place
Admission: $5 per hour, per backpack
In honor of Archaeology Month, Gore Place is offering an archaeology themed backpack as part of a “Take a Walk” activity. With it, children and their accompanying adults can explore the open spaces and hidden places on this 50 acre estate. Each backpack contains binoculars, a magnifying glass, and archaeology related activities. Come to the Carriage House to get a backpack and start your adventure!
Wayland
Dorey House Dig on Old Sudbury Road
Date & Time: Saturday, October 20, 2pm
Location: Wayland Town Building, 41 Cochituate Rd
Information: Tonya.Largy@verizon.net
Sponsor: Wayland Historical Commission, Wayland Historical Society
Admission: Free
An excavation at the Dorey House, a 19th century house near the bank of Baldwin Pond, was carried out in 2017 by the University of Massachusetts - Amherst, as part of an Honors Thesis project. The results of that excavation illustrate a slice of American history through the lens of an old New England house. Artifacts will be on display and refreshments will be served.
Wellfleet
A Fresh Look at the Great Island Tavern Site
Date & Time: Tuesday, October 30, 9:30am (rain or shine)
Location: Great Island Trailhead Parking Lot, Wellfleet (western terminus of Chequessett Neck Road)
Information: 508-255-3421, extension 0301
Sponsor: Cape Cod National Seashore
Admission: Free
Ever since the Great Island Tavern site was excavated in the late 1960s by archeologists from Plimoth Plantation, it was assumed all there was to know about this remarkable 1690s site was discovered. Fast forward to the summer of 2018 when a team of archeologists from the Fiske Center for Archeological Research at the University of Massachusetts Boston renewed efforts to uncover more about the tavern's whaling past. Take an hour long hike out (one way) in loose sand to this spectacular setting high above Wellfleet Harbor with Cape Cod National Seashore Historian Bill Burke. Hear the latest updates on what was uncovered over the summer. Sturdy shoes, drinking water and snack are recommended, and save some energy for the way back!
Wellesley
Archaeology of Wellesley: A Glimpse of Life 100 Year Ago
Date & Time: Saturday, October 20
Location: Davis Museum, 106 Central Street
Information: eminor@wellesley.edu
Sponsor: Wellesley College
Admission: Free
The Wellesley College Hall Archaeology Project explores life in our community over a century ago! Come see how we excavate and learn from our finds along with intriguing documents from the College Archives. What did Wellesleyans eat, wear, and do for fun in the early 1900s? Do you or your neighbors have stories about life in the area, or have you found old bottles in your backyard? Come share your stories!
Archaeology Month Drop-In Tour
Date & Time: Saturday, October 20, 2pm
Location: Davis Museum, 106 Central Street. Meet in the lobby.
Information: www.theDavis.org
Sponsor: Davis Museum at Wellesley College
Admission: Free
Join us for an archaeology-themed tour of the Davis's permanent collections led by a Student Guide. Free and open to the public on a first-come, first-served basis. For a full schedule of tours, please visit www.theDavis.org. This program is generously supported by the Elizabeth Bein Keto '48 Endowed Memorial Art Fund.
Woburn
Walk Along Middlesex Canal
Date & Time: Sunday, October 14, 1:30pm
Location: Woburn Cinemas, from Route 128, take Exit 35, Rte. 38S
Information: Robert Winters (robert@middlesexcanal.org), www.middlesexcanal.org
Sponsor: Middlesex Canal Association
Admission: Free
Joint MCA-AMC Middlesex Canal Fall Walk. Meet at 1:30 at the in the southeast corner of the parking lot at the Woburn Cinemas in Woburn. The Appalachian Mountain Club and the MCA will host the three-mile walk along two level sections of the historic Middlesex Canal. For more information, please visit www.middlesexcanal.org.
Post-Archaeology Month Events
Middleborough
Massachusetts Archaeological Society Annual Meeting
Date & Time: Saturday, November 17, 9:30am -5pm
Location: Robbins Museum of Archaeology, 17 Jackson Street
Information: info@massarchaeology.org
Sponsor: Massachusetts Archaeological Society, www.massarchaeology.org
Admission: Adults: $12, MAS Members and Students: $10
The annual meeting of the Massachusetts Archaeological Society (MAS) will begin with the business portion in the morning, followed by a slate of presentations and papers in the afternoon. The papers will cover a wide range of interesting archaeological topics. Visit our website at www.massarchaeology.org for a full program description.